Drug Makers Put Half of Ad Money Into Television

When the U.S. Food & Drug Administration eased the rules for direct-to-consumer advertising last August, there was speculation that pharmaceutical manufacturers would take full advantage of the opportunity. Bull's-eye.

Scott-Levin, the health care consultant, says half of drug manufacturers' ad dollars were spent on television during the first two months of 1998 — almost double the pace set in 1997. And IMS Health, which tracks drug trends, predicts all spending on direct-to-consumer advertising will reach $1.3 million in 1998, 50 percent more than in 1997.

In a speech to health care and business leaders, Richard Waltermire, R.Ph., a senior vice president for Pharmacy Gold, the pharmacy benefit management company, warned that direct-to-consumer ads play down drugs' side effects and raise unrealistic consumer expectations about quality of life.

But whether TV advertising affects prescribing is still a matter of debate. In the Scott-Levin audit, 60 percent of doctors said direct-to-consumer ads are not always reliable sources of information.